Monday, 22 September 2014

Close shave for Kashmir flood Samaritans in IAF crash

By Ajai Shukla

Business Standard, 22nd Sept 14

Eleven persons on board an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32
aircraft that crashed and caught fire while landing in Chandigarh on Saturday
evening are fortunate to be alive, say sources close to the accident
investigation.

The aircraft, which was returning from Srinagar, via
Bhatinda, after delivering flood relief supplies, had five IAF crewmembers and
six passengers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on board.

Had all of them not escaped through an emergency hatch, this
accident could have paralleled the Uttarakhand helicopter crash, in which five
IAF crewmembers, six Indo-Tibet Border Police troopers, and nine NDRF personnel
were killed in an IAF helicopter crash during a flood relief mission on June
25, 2013.

The AN-32 aircraft, while landing, appears to have dropped
too quickly, bounced off the runway, and hit one wing against the ground. Since
an AN-32’s wing also serves as the fuel tank, the aviation turbine fuel spraying
around at high temperature set the wing alight --- forcing the passengers into
an emergency evacuation while airport tenders fought the blaze. Some of the
injuries caused by the crash are believed to be serious.

The AN-32 transport aircraft is one of the IAF’s most
reliable workhorses, capable of landing on short strips at high altitudes. The
fleet of more than 100 aircraft is being refurbished to extend its service
life. The aircraft that crashed on Saturday had been upgraded in Ukraine
recently.

Old horses when flogged beyond age and not fed properly i:e serviced and repaired or done with spurious spares cannbilsed from dubious arms dealers results in what we see with the horse lying with its legs up. The arms dalalsand mod civilans involved in purchse of spares need to be sent to Tihar .

The IAF's taken up where the Navy left off. They are managing to prang hitherto 'uncrashable' aircraft - it was a brand new C-130J, a Mi-17V, a ALH and now a refurbished AN-32. I guess we need a 'havan' to ward off the evil eye or blame the ISI. And the country's not even questioning the colossal loss of public money. Ignorance reigns !